Rice's 2003 finishing kick carries into 2004

Beating UH adds to win streak, but offense a concern

Published 5:30 am, Tuesday, September 7, 2004

When Rice finished the 2003 season by winning its last three games and four of the last five, it was hoped the momentum would somehow carry over to the new season.

Especially because the new season, as usual, would begin with the annual Bayou Bucket game against Houston.

Well, it seems Rice managed to somehow keep that mojo working, extending its win streak to four games with a 10-7 upset of the Cougars before 28,726 fans at Reliant Stadium.

Rice coach Ken Hatfield and his players were all smiles afterward, which is understandable because the win broke a two-game losing streak to UH and was step No. 1 in a difficult start to the schedule for the Owls.

They next must figure out a way to tame Hawaii's spread attack led by record-setting quarterback Timmy Chang.

Longhorns loom

After that, it's a date with the Texas Longhorns. After starting last season 1-6 with losses to those same Warriors and Longhorns, knocking off the Cougars was a step — a leap, actually — in the right direction.

The defense — led by end John Syptak (two sacks), rover Terry Holley (seven tackles, one interception) and linebacker Adam Herrin (7.5 tackles) — shut down Houston's vaunted passing attack. Quarterback Kevin Kolb, last year's freshman sensation, never had time to properly set up and completed less than half his passes (15 of 33), finishing with 204 passing yards and getting sacked seven times.

But because coaches aren't paid to be satisfied, regardless of the outcome, Hatfield can't be totally happy with Sunday's upset.

One thing that most certainly did not carry over from last year's closing kick was the offensive production that made those wins possible.

In the three-game win streak that closed the 2003 season, the Owls averaged 45 points, 584 yards, 28 first downs and 79 plays per game. Against Houston, the Owls managed 186 yards total offense and 13 first downs on 63 plays, an average of three yards per play.

While Hatfield knows that kind of production isn't good, he is aware that on this night, it was good enough. And Hatfield knows he has two weeks to iron out any offensive kinks before Hawaii hits town for the Sept. 18 WAC opener. And those two weeks will allow for some injured bodies to heal.

"When you look at the (offensive numbers), more than anything that reflects what happens when you lose two starters on the first three plays of the game," said Hatfield, referring to offensive linemen Micah Meador and Ross Huebel, who are day-to-day.

"Houston had a good defensive front. They were very aggressive and they did a good job of mixing up several different defenses. I think they (the Cougars) controlled the line of scrimmage, to be honest with you. We have to control the line of scrimmage better, but when you lose two starters right away, that's not easy. We definitely wanted to try and limit some things we do (on offense) from then on, to not beat ourselves."

The Owls had 10 points but just missed on several scoring opportunities. They missed two field goals, including a 49-yard attempt by freshman Luke Juist that hit the right upright. The Owls were stopped just short of the goal line in the game's final minutes before a 99-yard march that allowed UH to avoid the shutout.

Scoring opportunities

"We were within scoring range six times," Hatfield said. "We missed two field goals (the other a 43-yarder by
Brennan Landry
), one of which was easily makeable and the other was not. We had another possession when Greg (Henderson, the Owls' quarterback) threw an interception in the end zone (on Rice's first possession).

"And then on the last series we left the ball on the one-inch line. We have to figure out a way to push it on in, and that's what we'll be looking at more than anything else."